Effective date: October 6, 2026.
EarthViews Conservation Society operates EcoTrkr Collector and its associated survey upload and map services. This policy explains how these services handle information collected during environmental surveys. Our goal is to support waterway conservation through environmental observations and shared maps.
Privacy questions and requests: info@earthviewsociety.org. Organization website: earthviewsociety.org.
You can choose Try demo on the welcome screen without creating a participant profile or granting location or Bluetooth permissions. The demo uses clearly labeled sample readings and example coordinates held in memory. It does not record your location, connect to a sensor, create a profile, store sample surveys in the survey database, or upload sample data.
The Collector does not request access to your contacts, microphone, or camera. Its current release contains no advertising SDK or in-app purchase flow.
Location permission allows the app to record a survey track and match temperature readings to places and times. While a survey is recording, a foreground location service can continue recording when the screen is off or you use another app. Android displays a survey recording notification. Pausing or ending the survey stops its location recording.
Bluetooth permissions allow the app to find and communicate with compatible environmental sensors and retrieve their measurements. Notification permission supports recording notices. Internet access allows profile setup and survey uploads.
We use participant credentials to authorize uploads; location and sensor data to align, validate, store, and display environmental observations; and operational information to maintain service reliability, investigate failures, and protect the service. Uploaded observations support environmental mapping, conservation, and research.
Uploaded survey data is available through a public data service. Public records can include exact survey coordinates and times, temperature and quality information, survey notes, your display name if supplied, a participant code, sensor hardware identifiers and names, and survey metadata including app version. These records can reveal survey routes and link multiple submissions to a participant or sensor. Leaving your display name blank does not make location records anonymous.
Do not put private contact information, children's names, or other sensitive personal details in your display name or survey notes. Consider whether a survey track reveals a home, school, or another private location before recording and submitting it. Public recipients may download or redistribute records, and we cannot control independent copies after publication.
The default upload service uses Vercel for hosting and Supabase for database services. Database backups are stored with Backblaze B2 using GitHub Actions workflows. The Android app uses Google Play services to obtain device location. These providers process information needed to deliver their services under their own applicable terms and policies.
The app allows an alternative HTTPS API address in settings. If you choose another operator's server, that operator receives your profile and survey submissions, and its privacy practices apply. Verify the destination before entering credentials or uploading data.
Survey records and participant settings are stored on your device. Upload credentials are stored in the app's private settings; the default server stores a hash of the upload credential. Network submissions use HTTPS. Device backup settings may affect whether local app data is included in a backup. No storage or transmission method can guarantee complete security.
Uploads may be queued and retried when a network connection becomes available, including after recording ends. Ending a survey does not cancel an already queued upload.
Local records remain until removed through device/app data controls or uninstalling the app. Clearing local data or uninstalling does not remove information already uploaded, and may destroy records that have not yet been uploaded.
The current service does not automatically expire uploaded survey records; they may be retained long term to support environmental observations. To request access, correction, or deletion of a participant profile or submitted records, contact info@earthviewsociety.org with enough information to identify the records. Do not email your upload token. We may need to verify that you are authorized to make the request. Independent copies of public records may remain with other recipients.
Database backups may also contain your profile and uploaded records. Removing local data or active server records does not automatically erase existing backups. When requesting deletion, specify whether you want your entire profile and associated surveys, sensor records, and observations removed, or particular surveys removed while keeping your profile. Ask us to address managed backup copies as part of the request. No automatic backup expiry period is currently specified by our backup workflow; we must address those copies separately.
You can leave your display name blank, choose whether to start a survey, pause or stop recording, and manage location, Bluetooth, and notification permissions in Android settings. Denying a necessary permission can prevent the relevant collection feature from working. Contact us about information already submitted or about a pending upload you do not want published.
EcoTrkr Collector is intended for people aged 16 and older and is not intended for children under 16. Participants aged 16 or 17 should review this policy with a parent or guardian, particularly the publication of precise survey locations and times. Do not include a minor's name or other identifying personal details in display names or survey notes.
The current app does not verify age or provide a parental consent process. If you believe someone under 16 has submitted personal information through the service, contact info@earthviewsociety.org so we can investigate and address the records.
This policy covers the Collector and associated survey services. The EarthViews website, external donation pages, and other linked services may use their own cookies, forms, and privacy notices. The EarthViews website provides a cookie notice and cookie preferences.
We will update this policy when relevant practices change and identify the effective date of the published version. Contact info@earthviewsociety.org with questions.